Known wheel overlays are deficient in that they do not provide efficient or effective fastening to the underlying wheel of an automobile or other vehicle. Wheel overlays are also sometimes referred to as wheel skins. Specifically, known wheel overlays do not provide fastening mechanisms that are easily attachable, do not provide fastening mechanisms that are easily removable, and do not rely on aesthetically pleasing clips or fastening members. Also, known overlays are not compatible with multiple toolings of the same wheel and the variances of those wheels since aesthetically, the wheels are the same but there can be slight differences in certain dimensions that impact the ability for the wheel overlay to attach to the wheel. What is needed is a wheel overlay system that satisfies these and other deficiencies of known automotive or other vehicle wheel overlay systems.
Simulated chrome plated wheel covers designed to be installed over standard factory wheels are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,196, U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,253, U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,277, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,678 disclose embodiments of simulated chrome plated wheel covers or overlays that rely on fasteners arranged around the outside of the wheel to affix the cover to the wheel. In some of these embodiments, the described fasteners rely on an upward extending circumferential edge on the vehicle wheel to which the fasteners may be removably affixed. Typically the wheels to which such overlays are affixed are made of steel. In these embodiments, the wheel covers would either completely cover the lug nuts, or they would have openings corresponding to the positions of the lug nuts to enable access to the lug nuts (e.g., to allow the wheel to be removed) without taking the cover off. In these embodiments, if the wheel to which the overlay is going to be affixed lacks an upward extending circumferential edge, the known cover attachment mechanisms cannot be used. These known fasteners are also not aesthetically pleasing, as they are visible on the outer rim of the wheel cover and thus disrupt the aesthetic appearance of the wheel/overlay combination.
Aluminum alloy wheels presented a different challenge for simulated wheel covers because the wheels often use spokes and do not typically have a recessed outer rim. U.S. Pat. No. 7,452,037 shows a wheel cover that may be attached to an alloy wheel by duplicating the shape of the original wheel on the interior and acting as a skin. Fasteners are generally not used to affix wheel covers to alloy wheels; instead the wheel contains slots that are used for inserting studs attached to the wheel cover. The cover substantially duplicates the entire outer surface of the wheel, however the sides of the spokes have a slight minimal gap or offset. This gap is only the width of a slot or slots provided within each spoke. When the wheel cover is placed over the wheel, a mating mushroom head stud, which may be integrally formed into the wheel overlay, is aligned with one edge of the slot and is easily inserted onto an area of the slot slightly larger than the diameter of the stud. The wheel cover is then rotated clockwise until the stud snaps into place in a smaller area of the slot, thereby changing the gap from one side of the spoke to the other. These covers may either cover the hub completely or match the contour of the hub, thereby permitting the lug nuts to be exposed for easy removal of the wheel.
Creating wheel overlays that appear to be part of the wheel when mounted to the wheel presented a challenge as well. U.S. application Ser. No. 14/559,184, assigned to the assignee of the instant application, shows a vehicle wheel overlay system that is readily installable over existing wheels by attaching directly to lug nuts, studs, or other mounting hardware used to affix the wheel itself to the body of the vehicle. The overlay system provides for a wheel overlay that can be readily removed by disengaging lips of the extension(s) of the wheel overlay from the lug nuts holding the wheel to the vehicle, thus providing easy access to the lug nuts and enabling the wheel to be easily removed from the vehicle. In some embodiments, the plurality of lug nut engaging areas for engaging with and disengaging from a corresponding extension may be designed from various shapes, including but not limited to: rounded, angled and wedge-shaped.
While this wheel overlay system represents an improvement over prior, known systems, additional improvements have nonetheless developed. The most recent challenge, which is addressed by the instant disclosure, relates to using a center cap assembly as part of the attachment mechanism. A center cap assembly may be used to securely attach a wheel overlay a wheel. In addition, there is a desire to use the original center cap so that the wheel overlay appears to be part of the original wheel. There is also a need to use multiple attachment mechanisms together to ensure the wheel overlay is securely attached to the wheel. The instant disclosure satisfies these and other problems not previously solved in the prior art.